Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1887-05-06
TO HAVE BEEN EXPECTED.


TO HAVE BEEN EXPECTED.
Ne one is surprised to see with what
veracieus avidity the Republican news
papers are discussing the life and character
of Jshn G. Calhoun, and solely from the
standpoint of rigid partisan politics. They
see nothing in the life Of this remarkable
and gifted man except "his notification
speeches, his championship Of slavery, his
devotion to states rights and his fight of
fsrty years for LEGAL selfgovsrnment in its
ssprenest essence and purity"
All this was TO have been anticipated from
such . source, but exhibitions Of prejudice
and such perversions Of truth and facts can
not alter history. History cares nothing tor
special pleading, nothing for geographical
sivisisns-deeds, not words, attract the at
teation OF history-evsnts, not speculations,
determine the analysis Of history. Men are
nothing in history except as they serve to
illustrate some great force and stand forth
as the representatives of some great prin-
clple.
John G. Calhoun was q mighty factor in
civilization which was particularly but
trsssed upon African slavery. His gifts as
leader, his power as csmbatant, his in
tegrity as an individual and his surround
ings as man are points in his character
that the historian must bring cut
Unfortunately for itself the northern miad
tries Calhoun by the standard always Of the
civil war. His doctrines led to war, 1t ar
CUES. and as the respltof the war overthrow
-daGf<annx lhexsiess was calhoun not
only very infsfiof ssrt sf man, but enc
SO inherently bad in everything that his
memory eughtto 60 down Infamous through
out all the ages and accused formermore.
The great fault of al such stuff Is this is
the fault of looking upon the American
civil war as the only war Of its kind the
werld ever saw. The truth is it was but a
common place sort OF war. Defeat proves
nothing except, as Napoleon said, the good
God is on the side of the most artillery and
the heaviest battalions. The hero Of to. day
is the vanquished tomorrow The idols OF
to-day are shattered tomorrow. Signing
his name above the name Of Louis XIII to-
day, Oliver Cromwell tomorrow has his
bones hung upon gibbet.
The vcters in the American civil war
should make the NEST Of Appomattex Court
House. If il pleases them TO think that his
tory will take their bsastings, their claims
to all sorts Of Immaculate Omnpetence,
their denials to the vanquished Of any Of the
great attributes Of patriotism and devotion,
their assertions that there never was such q
war before, and that all who were en- one
side were angles and all on the other side
Of it devlls-then let them rest their cause
until history really does get at them. Not
magazine history, nsr the history OF cor
respondents, but that history that sums up
the whole mighty conflict as one which
Americans fought to settle certain domestic
ether way.
Then Americans like Calheun will al leas:
be dealt with fairly. He will not be tried by
any abolition or slave.hslding standard, but
with single honest purpose to knew OF
the lie and the thought Of such man were
not spent for the general welfare.
The fierce and appropriateness Of Lamars
address upon the life and character of Cal.
houn lie in the fact that no strives to be.
come the kind Of historian that we attempted
TO portray. He knows we'll that TO the
northern mind Calhoun is the embodiment
of everything supposed TO be hslnsus in
slavery, notification and disunion. Parti.
san malace has made him cut an ADLER but
less courageous Aaron Burr. Lamar makes
no apology fer Calhoun. If he had he
would have degraded himself and insulted
the memory Of the greatest intellect Americs
ever produced. AS he says himself, he
sought To make calm and earnest enquiry
inlo those moral, social and material ierces
which have always been mere powerful
in NEEDING institutions or determining the
destinies OF nations than are the mere sx-
ternal legal forms. Pursuing this line Of
investigation, therefore, as n political phi
losophy rather than partisan biography
he throws great deal OF light on what will
one day be recognized AS the chief figure in
great national drama.